How to Fake a Hate Crime
Describes the intrigue and drama that caused a celebrity to become despised, shocked Chicago and beyond, and left a path of destroyed reputations and careers. The Osundairo brothers will provide all the details related to the false crime.
Producer: Jonah McMichael
Director: Nicole Rittenmeyer
Self (archive footage)
No overview available.
6 episodes
In the early hours of a polar vortex, Empire actor Jussie Smollett is assaulted in Chicago by two Trump supporters shouting racial and homophobic epithets. The world condemns the attack, but local police and journalists already know: none of it is true.
Runtime: 32 minChicago police have two men in custody and a mountain of video evidence tying them to the attack on Jussie Smollett. When Jussie appears on national TV and says 'these are the guys that did it', the Osundairo brothers must make a hard choice.
Runtime: 40 minJussie Smollett turns himself in on 16 counts of lying to police and the world asks, 'why?' What circumstances led a talented young actor and rising star political activist to stage a fake hate crime with himself as the victim?
Runtime: 33 minChicago prosecutor Kim Foxx drops the charges and Jussie Smollett takes a victory lap. Chaos ensues. Was dropping the charges a self-interested political move intended to scapegoat police? Or was Smollett actually attacked that night?
Runtime: 33 minFor the first time, the Osundairo brothers return to the scene of the crime to walk through the events of that fateful night. Meanwhile Jussie Smollett's journey through the criminal justice system comes to an end with a shocking twist.
Runtime: 38 minNancy Grace breaks down the twists and turns of the Jussie Smollett case explored by new series Anatomy of a Hoax.
Runtime: 32 minJussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax | Streaming March 13